Rama’s SCREEN

AMERICAN GANGSTER is not Scarface! Let me remind you that this is a whole nother ball game. It’s a different take than what the mafia movie master Martin Scorsese would do. This one’s more about… the story of the two main characters than it is about the inner workings of everyday mobster’s life, such as what Goodfellas gave us.

Frank Lucas (Washington) in the 70s rules the inner city drug trade and builds his own American Dream. He outsmarts his competition and gets back on corrupt cops that try to take advantage of his business. Richie Roberts (Crowe) is an honest cop that suspects a newcomer criminal is taking over the city.

Don’t expect, that since Denzel plays a bad guy, it’s going to be like Training Day.
In this movie, his character, in my opinion, is not as menacing, it doesn’t leave a lasting impression. Denzel always brings his A-game, don’t get me wrong, but his portrayal as Frank Lucas to me comes across as unoriginal and nothing special even when he tries to show us that he is an out of control maniac that despite the riches and money he gave his family, he has forgotten himself and where he came from.

Russell Crowe with a somewhat okay New Yorker accent does well as Detective Richie Roberts who tries to be honest in the midst of police corruption when he himself, without realizing it, is being dishonest in his relationship and some of his work methods.

Having known ahead of time that Oscar winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian is one of the force behind this project, that alone got me curious about this movie for a while. But now, having seen the whole thing, I think AMERICAN GANGSTER is entertaining, but definitely not award worthy. Maybe director Ridley Scott might get nominated but I highly doubt that would happen, since the awesome trace of The Departed is still fresh from last year.

As you’re watching AMERICAN GANGSTER, you can’t help but to remember similar movies in the past, it’s as if you’ve somehow seen some of the scenes somewhere a long time ago.

What I do like about this movie is that with the 2:40 span, it does offer lots to see that keep us awake so time flies like nothing. The acting is great, the 70’s looks and the feel from that era seem realistic, like we just traveled through time.
But it’s not something I’d watch twice.
The only thing fascinating is the fact that a black man did build a drug empire and actually accomplished something that other mafias hadn’t done back then.

* Place the cursor on the picture below to check my grade for this film